This article gives foreign businesses a general introduction to some central areas of Norwegian law. The rules change, and the details of each area should be checked before a decision is made.
Sources of law
Norway has a civil law tradition based on written legislation. There is no single civil code. Instead, separate acts cover different areas, such as contracts, sales, limitation and company law. All acts and regulations are published on Lovdata.
Statutes are the most important source of law. Preparatory works (forarbeider) and Supreme Court case law are also important when statutes are interpreted.
Contract formation
The Contracts Act of 1918 (avtaleloven) sets out the rules on offer and acceptance. As a general rule, there is no requirement that a contract be in writing, and oral agreements are binding. Some types of contracts are subject to form requirements under special legislation.
A written contract is in any case recommended, because it makes the terms easier to prove. See also our article on contract formation in Norwegian law.
International sales and the CISG
The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) applies as Norwegian law (Section 87 of the Sale of Goods Act (kjøpsloven)). For sales covered by the convention, chapter XV of the Sale of Goods Act applies. This does not apply to sales where the seller has its place of business in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden and the buyer has its place of business in another of these countries (Nordic sales) (Section 5). Nordic sales are governed by the ordinary rules of the Sale of Goods Act.
Commercial agency
The Agency Act of 1992 (agenturloven) protects commercial agents. Many of its provisions cannot be departed from to the agent’s detriment, and a choice of foreign law cannot set aside these mandatory provisions where Norwegian law would otherwise apply (Section 3).
When the agency contract ends, the agent may be entitled to a termination payment (avgangsvederlag) if the agent has brought the principal new customers or significantly increased business with existing customers, and the payment is reasonable. The payment cannot exceed one year’s remuneration, calculated on the basis of the agent’s average annual remuneration over the last five years (Section 28). The right lapses if the principal terminates because of a material breach by the agent (Section 29). The Act implements an EU directive through the EEA Agreement.
Standard contracts in construction and offshore
In construction, standard contracts published by Standards Norway (Standard Norge) are widely used, for example NS 8405 (construction contract), NS 8406 (simplified construction contract) and NS 8407 (design-and-build contract). The standards are not law. They apply only if the parties agree to use them.
In the petroleum sector, agreed standard contracts negotiated between industry organisations are commonly used for fabrication, engineering and supply. Which version applies depends on the contract.
Consumer protection
Norway has a comprehensive body of consumer legislation, much of it based on EU rules through the EEA Agreement. Relevant acts include the Consumer Purchases Act (forbrukerkjøpsloven), the Right of Withdrawal Act (angrerettloven), the Marketing Control Act (markedsføringsloven), the Craftsman Services Act (håndverkertjenesteloven), the Housing Construction Act (bustadoppføringslova), the Alienation Act (avhendingslova) and the Tenancy Act (husleieloven).
Mandatory rules. The Consumer Purchases Act cannot be departed from to the detriment of a consumer (Section 3).
Complaint period. A consumer may complain about defects within two years after delivery, or five years for goods intended to last considerably longer (Section 27). This is a statutory complaint period (reklamasjonsfrist), not a warranty.
Dispute resolution. Consumer disputes can be brought before the Norwegian Consumer Authority (Forbrukertilsynet), which mediates, and then the Consumer Complaints Committee (Forbrukerklageutvalget), which makes decisions (Sections 2 and 3 of the Consumer Complaints Act (forbrukerklageloven)). A complaint to the committee must be filed within one month after the parties were told that mediation has ended (Section 13). A decision has the effect of a final judgement unless it is brought before the district court within one month (Sections 17 and 22).
Limitation periods
The Limitation Act (foreldelsesloven) applies to most monetary claims.
General period. Three years (Section 2), as a rule from the day the creditor is first entitled to demand performance. For claims arising from breach, the period runs from the day of the breach (Section 3).
Lack of knowledge. If the creditor lacked the necessary knowledge of the claim or the debtor, the claim is not time-barred until one year after the creditor obtained or should have obtained that knowledge. Extensions under this rule cannot exceed ten years in total (Section 10).
Agreed extension. The debtor cannot agree in advance that the claim shall not become time-barred. After the claim has arisen, the debtor may agree to extend the period by up to three years at a time, but not beyond ten years from the date the claim would otherwise have become time-barred (Section 28).
Shortening. Whether the period can be shortened by agreement is not regulated in the Limitation Act and depends on the circumstances. Consumer rules may prevent it.
Interruption. The limitation period is interrupted, for example, when the debtor acknowledges the claim (Section 14) or when the creditor takes legal action (Section 15).
Even if a claim is not time-barred, it may be lost if a notice period has expired, for example the complaint period under the Consumer Purchases Act.
Merger control
Under the Competition Act (konkurranseloven), concentrations must be notified to the Norwegian Competition Authority (Konkurransetilsynet). There is no duty to notify if the undertakings concerned have a combined annual turnover in Norway below NOK 1 billion, or if only one of them has an annual turnover in Norway above NOK 100 million. The Authority may still order notification in certain cases (Section 18).
The Authority must, within 25 working days of receiving the notification, give notice that a decision may be relevant. Otherwise it cannot intervene. In cases that go further, the Authority must, no later than 70 working days after receipt, either accept proposed remedies or present a reasoned draft prohibition decision.
The deadlines may be extended in certain cases (Section 20). The Authority shall prohibit concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition (Section 16).
The Security Act
Under the Security Act (sikkerhetsloven), anyone who wishes to acquire a qualifying holding in an undertaking subject to the Act must notify the authorities. A qualifying holding means at least one third of the share capital, interests or votes, or significant influence in another way (Section 10-1). If the acquisition may involve a not insignificant risk to national security interests, the King in Council may decide that it cannot be carried out, or set conditions (Section 10-3).
Real estate
Under the Concession Act (konsesjonsloven), real property cannot, as a main rule, be acquired without a concession (permit), with the exceptions set out in the Act (Section 2). Whether an exception applies must be checked in each case.
How we can help
Advokatfirmaet Sterk AS (org. no. 931 556 584, St. Olavs plass 3, 0165 Oslo, advokats.no) advises Norwegian and foreign businesses on contracts, disputes and transactions. If you would like us to look at your situation, you can contact us. Information about our fees is available at advokats.no/priser.
This article provides general information as of 29 October 2026 and is not legal advice for your specific situation.
